If You Go Into The Woods [NOOK Book]

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Absolutly stupid!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Intriguing Writing--Look forward to more by this author

This eBook contains two short stories: "If You Go Into the Woods," and "Reset Button." The first reads very much like a fairy tale, and I think the foreign setting really helped to set an otherworldly mood. I did have some questions about the significance of some character actions, but on the whole I understood and was intrigued by the child protagonist. My biggest complaint is that the story ended just as I was starting to feel creeped out. I'm fine, philosophically, with ambiguous endings, but I really wanted something more--more tension, more danger. More something.

The protagonist of "Reset Button," Linus, was very well-drawn. I really felt for him and his plight of not being remembered--something we all feel and fear, I think--made him endearing in a way. Here, though, like with the previous story, something felt off with the ending. I honestly felt like I had missed something significant, as if there was some hidden meaning that I failed to grasp.

Gaughran's writing is clear throughout, and the characters behaved consistently and believably. While these stories left me wanting a little bit more, I would be more than interested in checking out the author's future work, especially at longer lengths.

Disclosure: I received these short stories as part of a free book giveaway.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

If you go into the woods is a collection of 2 short stories that

If you go into the woods is a collection of 2 short stories that I did not expect the ending.
First story is about a 8 year old boy who just moved tor a new town and he finds himself exploring and getting his courage to go deeper into the woods to find?
these are very short and fast reads. I was given this ebook to read in exchange of honest review from librarything.

Two short stories.

Some minor editing/formatting errors in the first story. Interesting twists.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Although much different from each other, the two stories in this

Although much different from each other, the two stories in this collection are well crafted and not like anything you’ve read before.

If You Go Into The Woods might seem like a familiar theme (the woods can be scary for some) but that is the only part you’ve seen before. A strange, but fun premise keeps you guessing with a clever ending.

The Reset Button takes a feeling many of us sometimes get and makes it a reality. This is one of those stories that is a good read and, if you allow it, can get you thinking about the importance of friendship and other relationships.

**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Quick and Interesting Reads

If You Go Into The Woods by David Gaughran is a collection of two short stories. Both stories are quick reads and give a good idea of David Gaughran's writing style. The first short story, entitled If You Go Into The Woods, tells the story of a little boy who is attracted to the chirping birds in the woods. Finally finding the courage to stray from the beaten paths, he makes it his mission to see the birds. But when faced with the opportunity, he realizes that the birds may not be what they appear. The second story, entitled The Reset Button, tells of Linus and his troubled past. Living a solitary life after being divorced without so much as joint custody, Linus has plenty of time to focus on why everyone in his life seems to not remember him - even though he has seen the same people for years. Out of the two stories included, my favorite would be If You Go Into The Woods. There are just enough details to make you wonder about the origins of the birds. The second story, though interesting, felt as though there was something missing. Maybe I just didn't catch on to what was trying to be expressed. Both stories are good reads though and make me want to read more stories by this author.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

a must read

"Unsettling" ... absolutely! In a wonderful can't stop thinking about it way! I really enjoyed both short stories..which are difficult to talk about, for me anyway, as I do not want to give anything away! ;) 'If you go into the woods' was great and even though I love the forrest around my home..it will now hold a new little bit of .. wait, did you hear that??? Sorry, it's just me, hopefully! 'The reset button' I loved too. I was more curious about what was happening in this second story, as opposed to feeling very anxious like I was with the the first story! Enough information was given about the characters that I was interested in them and cared about what happened to them. Of course I had a million questions and would have loved to have known more..but it added to it somehow. My mind can go over it and over it trying to think of interesting or scary or funny or sad things that could happen! So even though I finished reading quite quickly, it has stayed with me and my heart beats faster every time I think of a few key words out of the first story...READ IT AND YOU'LL SEE!!

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Bar fly and bird, friend or foe?

Author David Gaughran's surprise twist horror ending is found in two completely unrelated very short stories.

***

"If You Go Into The Woods" reads like an old fairytale. Irresistible chirping draws a young but troubled boy into the woods day after day, until the lure of the unknown draws him off the trail and literally up a tree. You will need to read the very short five page story to find out if he survives fear and panic to reveal what is really hidden in the branches.

Everybody in the television sitcom "Cheers" knew Norm, so why after years of week after week at the same bar, the same bakery, nobody remembers Linus or his name? His friends forgot him after the divorce and his ex-wife wishes their son would forget him. Is it Linus' or everybody else's problem? The twisted ending or the ending twist in "The Reset Button" will leave the reader wondering how so much could happen to one man in less than six pages.

None of the characters in either story are fully developed. Subplots are left dangling and unresolved at the end. Yet, both tales are a quick read with intriguing finales. Either story would make a promising first chapter in a horror novella or novel. Character motivation, conflict situations, and troubled relationships could be further developed to deliver a more powerful suspense tale.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

If you go...then you'll find a surprise

After reading these two stories- you get two bundled in this book, I thought they sounded familiar for some reason. Then I realized I was reading two modern day short story versions of the Twilight Zone. As a kid I always loved that little hook at the end (still do when I can find episodes on late at night) that comes with all the TZ episodes. These two stories are no exception. Since these are both short stories, not much can be said without giving away any of the plot. The first is about a boy how hears things in the woods, and the second is about a man who has a bad day. Both are short, easy to read, and are unforgettable. I'm still thinking about the chirping. I look forward to anything this author puts out in the future as I've realized he brings a fun twist to all his stories. His other book Transfection has the same feel but in sci-fi mode.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Two great short stories

I loved If You Go into the Woods with its clever, original plot and flesh and blood kid. It's a perfect short story. The Reset Button puts us smack in the middle of modern, alienated society with people and problems we all recognize, only with a twist. Two great short stories that kept me turning pages.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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